Sacrifice
by lynddsbeth
Summary: Regina makes an unlikely ally in her quest to stop her mother from killing Rumpelstiltskin. Can she stop Cora and repair their damaged relationship?
1. Chapter 1

**hey there! this is probably/maybe going to be a quick two shot. it's mostly about neal, regina, and cora and their different relationships. i think that neal and regina have quite a bit in common and they could probably be friends. i also think that while regina is trying to be better for henry, cora could try to do the same for her. reviews are most certainly welcome! :)**

* * *

"Baelfire."

Neal turned around to see his son's adoptive mother standing in the doorway. "It's Neal, actually."

Regina nodded. "Neal, then. I've come to ask for your help."

"My help? What do you need me for?" Neal looked warily at the brunette. Both Emma and his father had warned him about the former Evil Queen, so he wasn't sure if her motives were good or bad.

"I need you to help me get my mother out of town before she goes after your father." Regina watched his expression, which quickly became shocked.

"Why do you want her out of town?"

"Because she won't have magic outside of Storybrooke. I can't allow her to kill Rumple and become the Dark One." Regina looked down at her hands before looking back up at him. "Despite all that she's done, I still love her. I think you of all people should understand that."

Neal nodded slowly. His relationship with his father was incredibly complicated. He was never sure if he could forgive his father, but at the same time he loved the man who raised him despite all he had done. So he knew how Regina felt. Magic had corrupted his father just as it had done to her mother. "How am I supposed to help? I don't have magic. From what Emma told me, she's incredibly powerful."

"Fairy dust. I can't touch it, but I can get you close enough to use it on her. Once she is immobilized, you can help me get her into the car and I will take her there."

"Alright. I'll help you. But what will you do once she realizes your plan? She might not have magic, but you can't keep her away forever."

"If I can be better for my son, she can be better for me. It will be difficult, but if she truly loves me than we can do this."

"You aren't coming back?" He asked in surprise.

Regina gave him a small smile. "No. The temptation of magic is too strong here. The only way we can be better is to move away from it."

"What about Henry? I know that he is mad at you now, but maybe someday he can forgive you."

"Maybe. But for now, he has you and Emma. As much as it hurts me to admit this, he is happier with you. Perhaps when he is older he can spend weekends with me."

"He will. You took care of him when Emma couldn't. He is your son too, despite what everyone in this town thinks."

It was Regina's turn to look surprised. "I-thank you. Everyone else seems to believe that my adoption of Henry was just another plan to hurt Snow. But that's not true. I do love him."

Neal nodded. "I know. If you didn't care about him, he wouldn't be such a good kid. Parents that don't care about their children don't spend any time on them. Trust me, I spent a lot of time in the foster care system. I've seen a lot of parents that don't care and you aren't like them. My father couldn't give up magic for me. If you are going to do that for Henry, I know that you love him more than anything. And because of that, I'm going to help you do this. I want you to continue being a part of Henry's life."

Regina looked as if she was going to cry. She closed the distance between them and hugged him. Neal was caught off guard, but he returned the hug after a moment. She let him go and wiped the tears away. She looked embarrassed at her outburst as she stepped back.

"Thank you. Make sure Henry keeps his table manners, alright? I'd hate to see all of my hard work wasted." She joked.

Neal laughed. "I will. Good luck, Regina." He held out his hand and she shook it. "I'll get the fairy dust and you let me know when to meet you, alright?"

"Alright." Regina gave him a smile before leaving the way she came.

Neal took a deep breath. Clearly, the woman was not the same Evil Queen that August had warned him about so many years ago. He wondered if his father could change too. He decided to try to give him a chance. Hopefully someday Henry could follow his example and forgive the woman that raised him. Neal grabbed his jacket before heading out the door to find Emma. She would know how to find fairy dust here.

* * *

Emma shouted into her phone as she and Neal raced through the small streets of Storybrooke.

"What do you mean Cora and Regina have the dagger? We have to stop them before they get to Gold."

She listened to her father on the other side of the line before agreeing and hanging up. She looked at Neal. "I can't believe you are helping her."

"She isn't going to kill my father." Neal said as he clutched the bag of fairy dust. "She doesn't want Cora to do it either."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I trust her. We have a lot in common. We both want to save our parents from magic. I honestly don't know if my father can change, but if she has a chance of having a happy ending with her mom, then I want to help."

They turned the corner to see Cora standing across from Gold. He had his hands in front of him, but his eyes didn't leave the dagger in her hands. Regina was standing next to her mother and she looked up to see Neal and Emma's arrival. Charming stood just in front of the two newcomers. He was trying to talk Cora into leaving the Gold alone.

It was clear that Cora wasn't paying the prince any mind. Regina moved to stand closer to Gold. She held up her hand to quiet Charming as she focused on her mother. "You don't want to do this. Taking his power won't make you happy."

"Regina, he can kill our enemies, remember? Then you will have Henry back and we can be a family. We will be happy." Cora stroked her daughter's cheek.

Regina reach up to grab her mother's hand. She held it against her face. "It doesn't matter any more. We can move on from this. As long as we are together, we can be happy. We don't need this power."

Cora smiled before shaking her head. "We can be together and be the most powerful in all the worlds. I'm sorry, dear." She flicked her hand and sent Regina flying. She landed unmoving next to her car.

Neal's eyes grew larger. He looked back and forth between Cora and her unconscious daughter. He slowly moved forward, but stopped when he felt Emma's hand on his arm. He looked back at her as she shook her head no.

Cora turned her attention back to Gold. "Are you ready to die, Rumple?"

"If you do this, you will loose your daughter for good. Trust me, that is worse than anything." Gold glanced at his son. "You will regret it for the rest of your life. Which will be a long time if you become the next Dark One."

Neal gave him a small smile to let him know he understood the apology in his statement. He still wasn't ready to completely forgive him, but if Cora succeeded in killing him, this might be his last moments alive.

Cora gave him a cold smile. "My daughter needs me. I'm all that she has left."

"Yes, well you made sure of that, didn't you?"

"She had to learn that love is weakness. She is incredibly powerful. How else would she have survived taking in the curse you placed on the well? It was designed to kill whoever came through, but yet she took all of it. If she let go of the silly belief that love is important, she could rule all the worlds. Someday, she will thank me. But first, I will get rid of you."

She raised the dagger and brought it down forcefully.

"No!" Regina appeared to stand in front of Gold.

Her face changed to one of pain as she looked down to see the dagger in her chest. Cora gasped in surprise as she realized what she had done. She caught her daughter as she started to fall. She carefully put her on the ground and shook her head in shock.

"Regina, I'm sorry!" Cora quickly pulled the dagger out and moved her hand over the wound that was bleeding profusely. It wasn't healing. She looked up at Gold, who was frozen. "Rumple, you have to help her! Please, I can't heal her."

He slowly shook his head. "Magic isn't going to heal her."

Charming knelt next to her. "We need to get her to the hospital."

He picked her up carefully. Regina moaned in pain as he moved her. She put her hand on his chest.

"No." She shook her head.

"What? Regina, we have to get you to a hospital now." Charming asked.

"No, just leave me alone." Regina's eyes fluttered closed.

Cora stepped closer to David. She grabbed Regina's hand. "You'll die, dear."

"I know. And this time, Snow won't be here to stop me." Regina gave her a pained smile.

"No, I won't let you die. I love you, dear. I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I can't lose you now." Tears ran freely down Cora's face as she held the hand of her dying daughter. "I'm going to get you to a hospital now."

Cora grabbed Charming's arm and transported the three of them to the hospital's ER. Dr. Whale and a few of the nurses looked up in surprise as they noticed them appear.

Charming moved to put Regina on a gurney. "Dr. Whale, we need your help. She was stabbed. You have to save her."

Cora grabbed Regina's hand and held on tightly as the nurses moved into action around them. Charming stepped back, realizing that he could only be in the way.

"Mother, you have to promise me that you won't do this anymore. Power means nothing if you lose everything to get it. Neal can help you survive outside of Storybrooke. The temptation of magic won't be there anymore."

Regina groaned in pain as the nurses started pushing the gurney to the nearest operating room. Cora followed next to her without letting go of her hand. "I'll do anything you want if you are okay. You have to be okay."

Regina smiled and wiped the tears from her mother's face. "I love you."

Dr. Whale put his hand on Cora's arm. "I'm sorry, but this is as far as you can go. Your daughter is in good hands."

Cora nodded slowly and let Regina go. She watched as the doors shut behind her daughter. "I love you too." She whispered to herself.  
Perhaps Regina was right. Power would mean nothing if she couldn't have her daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously on Sacrifice:_

_Cora nodded slowly and let Regina go. She watched as the doors shut behind her daughter. "I love you too." She whispered to herself.  
Perhaps Regina was right. Power would mean nothing if she couldn't have her daughter._

* * *

Six weeks later Regina was slowly moving around the relatively big apartment. Her right hand was carefully pressed against her chest, although she put little pressure on it. Her wound still hurt despite all the physical therapy and she had given up on hoping the scar would go away completely. Her physical therapist insisted that she was healing very well and soon enough it wouldn't hurt to move anymore, but Regina was bored out of her mind staying in the apartment. She wanted the pain to go away so she could do something other than read and watch tv as her mother worried over her. As she slowly reached in a cabinet she wished, not for the first time, that they had stayed in Storybrooke. She could have easily taken away the pain if she had her magic. But when her gaze settled on a framed picture of Henry, she knew she had made the right choice.

When she had woken up after surgery, her mother was so relieved. Cora had been so sure that she had killed her daughter. It wasn't difficult for Regina and Neal to convince her to move to Boston. So when Regina was finally released from the hospital, they packed up their things and Neal drove them to their new home. Both of the women were nervous to be living without magic, but they each wanted to do better for their child. Regina stopped using magic as Henry wanted and Cora stopped trying to control her daughter's life. There were still times they fought, but Regina was happy that she finally had a relatively normal relationship with her mother.

Regina checked the time above the stove before sighing. Henry was supposed to be here soon and the thought that she was finally seeing her son for the first time in almost two months made her more restless than usual. She talked to him almost everyday since they moved to Boston, but it wasn't the same as seeing him. Their relationship had also improved greatly for the first time since Snow White gave him the fairy tale book. Henry was starting to understand that not everything was black and white, good and evil.

Neal usually called to check up on her and share the latest news of Storybrooke. It was him that suggested bringing Henry down for the weekend and Regina had been quick to agree. She was happy that Neal had been so supportive of her continuing her relationship with Henry and wondered how he could possibly be related to Rumpelstiltskin. From what he told her during their phone conversations, his father had once been a kind man. Regina had scoffed at that, but Neal was quick to point out that she hadn't been born the Evil Queen just as his father had not been born the Dark One. She realized that he was right and applied the same logic to her mother. It helped her to see eye-to-eye with Cora. Neal almost always asked how things were going with her mother and she would end up asking if he had forgiven his father yet. Their common backgrounds allowed them to talk easily and Regina found herself with a new friend, much to Emma Swan's dismay.

According to Neal, the blonde had steadfastly tried to ignore him but Regina's near-death made her rethink some things. She was still reluctant to open herself to him, but he figured that Henry's "secret" plans to get them together would eventually convince her. Regina had laughed at Neal's description of Henry's new operation that usually involved him and Emma stuck somewhere together for a few hours. The last time, he convinced Ruby to 'accidently' lock Emma and Neal in a jail cell and lose the key for the night. Of course, they saw right through it but decided not to say anything to Henry.

Regina poured herself some coffee as she heard her mother's voice outside the door. She put the cup down and moved towards the door to see if she could figure out who she was talking to. She jumped back in surprise as the door opened and her mother walked through, followed closely by their neighbor, Edward. They both carried a few bags of groceries and Regina moved out of their way.

"Regina, you remember Edward, right?" Cora asked as they set the bags on the counter.

"Of course. How are you?" Regina gave him a sweet smile. She knew who he was because he seemed to have a sweet spot for her mother. He always offered to call her a cab or help with groceries. Regina found it quite amusing to watch him try to flirt with her mother because he would lose his nerve before asking her out for drinks every time.

"I'm doing quite well. How are you doing?" He responded, echoing her smile.

They had agreed to tell anyone that asked that Regina had been stabbed near her old apartment, so she moved in with her mother until she could find a safer neighborhood to live in. Like everyone else they had met, Edward didn't know the true story.

"Better, thank you."

"Fantastic." He grinned before turning to Cora. "Well, I should head back to my apartment..."

Regina covered her grin. From here, Cora would walk him to the door and he would start to ask her out but end up quickly bidding her a good day and disappearing into his apartment. She bit her lip as the typical scene played out. He stuttered his goodbyes and Regina waved before he went into his apartment.

Cora shut the door and walked over to where Regina stood. She started to unpack the groceries.

"Honestly, Mother. You must put him out of his misery and ask him out yourself."

Cora gave her a look. "Edward isn't interested in me like that, dear. He is being a gentleman."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You keep telling yourself that." She checked the time again. "They should be here soon. Neal said that Emma decided to come with them. Apparently she needs a break from the small town scene."

"Alright. I'll start dinner."

The two quietly worked together until the doorbell rang. Regina nervously smoothed down her hair before opening the door.

"Mom!" Henry yelled before wrapping his arms around her. Regina returned his hug, despite the pain.

She looked up to see Neal and Emma. Henry let her go and moved to explore the apartment. He cautiously said hi to Cora and disappeared into the other room.

Neal gave Regina a hug. "Hey. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine, thanks." Regina responded before pulling away. She waved at Emma, who looked quite uncomfortable. "Miss Swan. Thank you guys for bringing Henry here. Come on in."

Neal and Emma walked into the apartment and looked around. The room was decorated in blacks and greys with a bit of red. The pattern was similar to the one Regina had in her mayoral office.

Emma laughed. "Looks like you kept your interior designer. Did your castle look like this too?"

Regina raised her eyebrow. "There was much less color in my castle and more mirrors." She answered dryly before showing them to the kitchen.

Cora turned to look at them and smiled. "Neal, Emma. How are you?"

"Fine." Neal answered for them. Emma had already admitted that she felt weird about being around Cora. Even though Regina said that her mom was changing, Emma wasn't sure if she could be good. She agreed to come on this trip so she could be close to Henry and make sure Cora didn't try anything. Although she was quite sure Regina would never allow Henry to be hurt. Any doubts Emma had about Regina's love for her son vanished the moment she stepped in front of Cora's dagger.

"Good. Dinner should be ready soon. Please, have a seat while we finish up."

Emma and Neal followed Cora's suggestion by sitting at the small island in the middle of the kitchen. They exchanged a few stories about their trip as Regina and Cora put the finishing touches on the dinner. Henry came back in the kitchen a few minutes later holding a few comic books.  
"Mom, you got me the new comics I wanted?!"

Regina turned around and gave him a smile. "Of course, dear. Boston has a few awesome comic book stores. Maybe we can take a trip to one tomorrow."

Henry's eyes lit up and shook his head excitedly. "That would be awesome!"

The adults chuckled at Henry's enthusiasm. He plopped down on the couch in the living room to start reading his new comics. Neal watched him for a moment before turning to study Regina.

"You look good. How is your recovery going?"

"Slow. But it's getting better. The doctor said it would be a few months before I feel normal again." The frustration was clear on Regina's face.

"Are you sure you are okay with taking Henry for the weekend?" Emma asked.

"Absolutely." Regina said firmly. There was no way she was going to miss a chance to be with her son, pain or no pain.

"When are you guys coming back to Storybrooke?" Neal asked.

Regina exchanged a glance with her mother before shrugging. "We still have some things to work out. Besides, it might be only me that returns to Storybrooke." She said teasingly.

Cora rolled her eyes. Emma and Neal looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Mother has an admirer." Regina answered Neal's question with a laugh.

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "An admirer?"

"He's just a nice neighbor. He doesn't like me." Cora glared at Regina for bringing it up.

"He certainly does. He tries to ask her out almost every day, but then chickens out. He must be intimidated."

Neal laughed as Emma looked disbelieving. Neal looked at Cora and smiled. "Well you should ask him out yourself."

"That's what I said! Put the poor guy out of his misery!" Regina said as she pulled out a bottle of red wine. She offered some to her guests, who both nodded yes so she poured four glasses.

Cora took her glass from her daughter and shook her head. "I'm not 'asking him out.'"

"Why don't we ask him to join us for dinner?" Emma suggested before taking a sip of her wine.

Regina's eyes sparkled as she put her glass down. She moved to the door, but Cora grabbed her hand. "Don't even think about it, my love."  
"Mother, it will be fun."

"But we will have to explain everything to him." She gestured to their guests. Regina realized she was right, Edward would question why Regina left her son with his biological parents after raising him for eleven years.

She nodded slowly. "Fine. But I am inviting him over for drinks next week if you don't."

Cora reluctantly agreed and they moved back to the island. Neal and Emma tried not to laugh at the excited look Cora was clearly trying to hide, but in the end it was Regina who burst into laughter.

The dinner went by rather well. There were many stories shared and jokes told. Neal told them stories about being in Neverland while Regina and Cora took turns talking about their experience in Boston. At Henry's request, Emma told them about the places she had been before Storybrooke. There was an unspoken agreement to not talked about the darkness in any of their pasts, so the talk was kept light.

It was dark outside by the time Neal and Emma stood to head to their hotel for the night. Henry had gone to bed over an hour before while the adults finished the wine. Their conversation had turned more serious and they discussed a possible timeline for Regina and Cora's return to Storybrooke. In the end, they decided it didn't matter when they would return as long as Henry could continue to visit. Regina and Cora thanked Neal and Emma for coming before they left.

Cora insisted on doing the cleanup so Regina didn't strain herself. She sat on the couch and relaxed for a moment as she thought about how well the day went. She was finally getting along with Emma, something Henry had wanted since day one. Henry was happy, and he was with her for the whole weekend. Her relationship with her mother was better than ever and she couldn't be more content.

Cora sat next to her and Regina leaned over to rest her head on her mother's shoulder. Cora brushed her hair out of her face. She was right; getting her mother away from magic was the best thing she could have done.

"I love you, Mother."

"I love you too, dear."

* * *

the end! thank you so much for reading this story!

xoxo

lyndsay


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